The current system — a mixed-mode, simulcast 800 MHz system — was first installed in 2000 and upgraded in 2009.

by Matt Williams
/
August 5, 2014

San Francisco wants input from vendors on how to replace its primary public safety radio system, the 800 MHz Citywide Emergency Radio System (CERS), which officials say is nearing end-of-life.

The current system — a mixed-mode, simulcast 800 MHz system — was first installed in 2000 and upgraded in 2009, according to an RFI posted on July 30. About 6,700 radios are on the system; 80 percent are police, sheriff and fire personnel.

The city utilizes other radio networks in various stages of their life cycle: a separate analog 800MHz system dedicated for public service departments and a public safety radio system at San Francisco International Airport that was upgraded in 2010.

Another radio network for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency also is in the works and scheduled to be operational by the end of 2015.

“If possible, the city would like to consolidate systems where it can provide inefficiencies and reduce operating costs,” the RFI says.

San Francisco anticipates signing a contract with a vendor to replace the CERS system by end of 2015 and doing the system cutover in 2018.